No more ivory in THAI flights

Posted by hasekamp on 29 January 2015
at 15:15 PM
Thai Airways International is joining the campaign against illegal transport of ivory on all THAI flights, in support to the government's policy to stop ivory trade. "THAI has joined in the fight against the trade of ivory. We don't support publicising ivory products through our communication channels," said Poonsak Chumchuay, THAI managing director, Cargo Mail and Commercial Department. Thailand now allows domestic ivory trade, but the import and export of ivory or all ivory products are strictly prohibited in accordance with the international agreement under the pact drawn by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Poonsak noted that THAI is in close coordination with the Customs Department and concerned functions at Suvarnabhumi Airport for strict inspection of departing flights and transit shipments, especially flights to and from risk areas. This action supports serious efforts being made to solve the problem of illegal ivory shipments, and the policy is implemented by all THAI cargo offices worldwide in order to seek a permanent solution. (Source: The Nation)

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Madrid, Moscow and Phuket-Seoul go from THAI

Posted by hasekamp on 29 January 2015
at 15:11 PM
THAI president Charamporn Jotikasthira said the airline will no longer fly Bangkok-Madrid and Bangkok-Moscow and stop the service between Phuket and Seoul from March 29. The decision followed the scrapping of the Johannesburg route on Jan 15. The next destination that could be scrapped is to Los Angeles. Mr Charamporn said the carrier will evaluate the business potential of the flight to the United States in the second quarter. The flights to Spain and Russia from Bangkok and the Phuket-Seoul service are in the red. The Los Angeles flight suffers the same fate due to fierce competition across the Pacific. Mr Charamporn said THAI could not compete with charter flights feeding tourists from Russian to Thailand on the Moscow route, although Russians ranked third among visitors to the kingdom. The airline has been ordered by the State Enterprise Policy Committee, known as the "Super Board", to navigate its way out of its slump. (Source: The Bangkok Post)

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Deputy Minister: the US Hurt us

Posted by hasekamp on 28 January 2015
at 12:35 PM
Thailand on Wednesday expressed disappointment at the recent comments made by a US top official, saying the US is interfering with its domestic political situations. Deputy Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said the statements made by US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel during his visit in Bangkok had caused "wounds" to Thais. He was speaking after meeting with Patrick Murphy, charge d'affairs of the US Embassy in Thailand at the Foreign Ministry. The meeting was held at the order of Prime Minister Prayut Chanocha. Don said Murphy was "invited" to the meeting as Bangkok wanted to explain the facts of the political situations in Thailand. However, observers said the nature of the meeting could be considered as a protest as it took place early in the morning and just hours after the prime minister's order. Russel visited Thailand on Monday and met with former premiers Yingluck Shinawatra and Abhisit Vejjajiva as well as Foreign Minister Tanasak Patimapagorn. He implied during an address at Chulalongkorn University that the impeachment of Yingluck was "politically driven". "The perception of fairness is important. I'll be blunt here: When an elected leader is deposed, impeached by the authorities that implemented the coup, and then targeted with criminal charges while basic democratic processes and institutions are interrupted, the international community is left with the impression that these steps could be politically driven". (Source: The Nation)

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THAI to reduce 5000 staff

Posted by hasekamp on 27 January 2015
at 16:12 PM
Thai Airways International will reduce its workforce by 20% through buyouts and attrition over the next five years, government and labour union officials said Tuesday. Transport Minister Prajin Juntong confirmed THAI would not lay off any staff, but said the national carrier would see its employee numbers cut through retirement and early-retirement programmes. The minister said the workforce would be downsized because its fleet of some 100 aircraft would need only 16,000-18,000 workers. The loss-ridden national airline, of which the state is the major shareholder, employs about 25,000 people. As part of an announced overhaul, management will cut 5,000 employees to bring the workforce to about 20,000, a figure approved by ACM Prajin. (Source: The Bangkok Post)

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US concerned

Posted by hasekamp on 27 January 2015
at 16:07 PM
The United States has failed to give an answer when asked what it would do if it faced the political problems like Thailand, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said Tuesday. Thai Foreign Minister Tanasak Patimapagorn raised the question when he met visiting US Assistant Security of State Daniel Russel on Monday. In the meeting, Russel expressed concerns on the political situation in Thailand particularly on the remaining of the martial law. "The Thai foreign minister then explained the reasons and the need of the law, saying that there is no laws that can effectively control the situation." Prayut quoted Tanasak as asking Russel what the law the US will use to control the situation if it was facing the similar problems. "The US Assistant Secretary of State could not give an answer, saying that he would go back to think about it," Prayut said. The United States has strongly condemned the May military takeover and repeatedly called for a swift return to democracy after the army seized power following months of protests against Yingluck's elected government. (Source: The Nation)

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Large changes at THAI

Posted by hasekamp on 26 January 2015
at 16:04 PM
Debt-burdened Thai Airways International (THAI) will not need to declare bankruptcy because the government is supporting it, but it must undergo major rehabilitation including some asset sales, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Monday. After attending a meeting of the government's committee on state enterprise policies, the so-called superboard, Gen Prayut said solutions were being discussed. The national airline would have to cut expenses, increase revenue, drop unprofitable routes, restructure its assets and sell some aircraft. The airline would also have to make changes to management, personnel and staff benefits, and travel agents who take up ticket quotas would be fined for unsold, returned tickets, Gen Prayut said. He said that THAI would have to sell some assets, such as the aircraft that are not being used. Sales of these assets would be direct to customer. There would be no middleman, he said. The state enterprise supervisory committee considered a rehabilitation plan proposed by Thai Airways and the management was allowed to proceed with the proposal, Gen Prayut said. The national flag carrier would not be allowed to declare bankruptcy to solve its debt problems. The government was supporting it, he said. The company's financial statements submitted to the Stock Exchange of Thailand showed THAI lost 9.2 billion baht in the first nine months of last year, with total debts of 262.5 billion baht. The state enterprise reported a loss of 12 billion baht in 2013. (Source: The Bangkok Post)

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End of an era?

Posted by hasekamp on 24 January 2015
at 13:24 PM
The future looks bleak for both the Pheu Thai Party and the Shinawatra family now that former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra has been impeached and barred from politics by the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) over her role in the loss-ridden rice-pledging scheme. Following the indictment and impeachment, the ex-premier turned to her Facebook page to denounce the decisions saying Thai democracy was dead, along with the rule of law as a movement bent on destruction continues. She ended her message with a quote from an academic: "If there is no Yingluck, the Thai people can still live on. But, more importantly, if there is no justice left in the governance of Thailand, no one can live on." Her brother and ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who fled a two-year jail term for abuse of authority, had reportedly told his close aides that Ms Yingluck would end up being impeached. It has been reported that some Shinawatra family members hoped the case against Ms Yingluck would only be a political one, not a criminal one, and that an amnesty law would be passed to wipe her record clean. However, Ms Yingluck's OAG case is clearly a criminal one which an amnesty will not cover. Now the Shinawatras are probably hoping Ms Yingluck does not follow her brother, Thaksin, into exile. (Source: The Bangkok Post)

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Another backpacker found dead on Koh Tao

Posted by hasekamp on 23 January 2015
at 11:37 AM
Both her parents and police on the southern resort island of Koh Tao believe a 23-year-old British backpacker found dead there was not a victim of foul play. Police said the body of Christina Annesley, 23, was discovered inside a bungalow room at the InTouch Resort on Koh Tao's Sai Ree beach late Wednesday. There were no immediate signs of criminal activity, but her body will be sent to Surat Thani on the mainland for an autopsy. A "selfie" taken by Christina Annesley and posted publicly to her Twitter timeline during her Thailand trip. "There was no trace of a fight and her body has no wounds," Pol Lt Col Napa Senathit told AFP by telephone, adding that investigators discovered three kinds of medications in her room, but no recreational drugs. The autopsy is not likely to be carried out before Sunday as officials have to wait for a ferry to the mainland. "There is no ferry today so we will send her body on Saturday night to arrive on the mainland Sunday morning," Pol Lt Col Napa said Friday. (Source : The Bangkok Post)

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Yingluck impeached

Posted by hasekamp on 23 January 2015
at 11:30 AM
The National Legislative Assembly on Friday voted overwhelmingly by 190 votes out of a possible 220 to impeach former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra in the rice-pledging case. Former Parliament president Somsak Kiartsuranon and former vice Parliament President Nikhom Wairatpanich escaped impeachment in another case. The NLA members cast their votes in secret ballots on the two cases at the same time, starting at 11am. The results were known at noon. The impeachment bans Yingluck from politics for five years. She was accused by the National Anti-Corruption Commission of negligence as duty as the prime minister, failing to act to stop massive corruption in the rice pledging-scheme. Eighteen NLA members voted to reject the impeachment request. Eight NLA members abstained and three ballots were declared invalid. (Source : The Nation)

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NACC: Rice scheme corrupt

Posted by hasekamp on 22 January 2015
at 13:50 PM
The rice-pledging scheme of former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra's government was a damaging political tactic to help her party to win a general election and rise to power, and to benefit corrupt associates, the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) told the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) on Thursday, presenting the NACC's closing statement in its impeachment case against Ms Yingluck, commissioner Vicha Mahakun said Ms Yingluck's Pheu Thai Party had campaigned for votes by promising to give rice growers 15,000 baht per tonne of rice under its proposed rice-pledging scheme. Mr Vicha said that in fact the "rice-pledging" scheme was not a pledging scheme at all, because the offered rate was far higher than the market price and no rice growers who pledged their rice would ever redeem it for less. He said the Yingluck government called it a "rice-pledging" scheme only to prevent the government from being considered a rice trader in its own right with a monopoly because of the high price offered for the grain. Ms Yingluck's government had tried to cover up by claiming that it had released the rice under government-to-government deals which actually had not existed, Mr Vicha said. In her closing statement, Ms Yingluck told the NLA that the impeachment case should not have been brought against her because the 2007 constitution that allowed the impeachment had already been revoked. She also said that the impeachment could lead to the five-year suspension of her political rights and that would unfairly limit her fundamental rights. She rejected the NACC's statement that it had spent one year and 10 months investigating the rice scheme. Actually, she said, the anti-graft panel had done it in only slightly over three months. Ms Yingluck also said that she had received reservations about her rice scheme from concerned organisations, but those letters had not urged her to halt the scheme. A letter calling for the end of the scheme, from the Office of the Auditor General, arrived after she had dissolved the House of Representatives, she said. She also complained that the NACC accepted her political opponents as witnesses in its investigation while rejecting several key witnesses that she had proposed. (Source: The Bangkok Post)

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Chinese-Thai railway starts building soon

Posted by hasekamp on 22 January 2015
at 13:44 PM
Construction on a $12 billion Chinese-backed railway through Thailand will begin in September, officials said Thursday, as part of a grand vision to overhaul the country's notoriously creaking network. "The first two phases will start by September or October at the latest this year and will take around two-and-a-half years to complete," Thailand's Transport Minister Prajin Juntong told reporters after meeting Chinese officials in Bangkok. Thailand currently has only 250 kilometres (155 miles) of dual track railway, making train travel painfully slow. With Chinese help, Bangkok plans to lay down two new dual track lines, part of a wider regional network that Beijing hopes will eventually link China's southwestern hub city of Kunming with Asia's second busiest port of Singapore. The largest line will cut 734 kilometres through Thailand, from northern Nong Khai province -- which borders Laos -- to the vast, coastal industrial estate of Map Ta Phut, southeast of Bangkok.Prajin, the former head of Thailand's airforce, said construction on that line would be divided up into four stages with the first beginning in September, laying down tracks between Map Ta Phut and Kaeng Khoi, via the capital. In total the four stages are expected to cost around 400 billion baht ($12 billion), the Ministry of Transport said in a statement. Completion of all stages is expected by around 2020 with further meetings to be held in Beijing in February to decide the level of Chinese involvement. (Source: The Nation)

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Floating market near Government House

Posted by hasekamp on 19 January 2015
at 14:04 PM
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Monday said that he planned to open a floating market in the Khlong Prem Prachakorn canal next to Government House in Bangkok. He ordered Gen Wilas Arunsri, secretary-general to the prime minister, to implement the idea on their way back to Government House after he opened a weekly orchid market by the canal. Gen Prayut wants the floating market to be developed in front of Government House adjacent to Rajamangala University of Technology's Phra Nakhon campus. He said he wanted people to shop at the floating market and vendors to have another place for product sales. He ordered Gen Wilas to arrange for a good parking lot for visitors to the floating market. "I am serious about it. This is a creative idea that will be certainly be realised," the prime minister said. (Source: The Bangkok Post)

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Armed robbery for toothpaste

Posted by hasekamp on 19 January 2015
at 13:55 PM
Four gunmen armed with rifles yesterday robbed a convenience store in broad daylight in Narathiwat's Rusoh district and escaped with toothpaste, shampoo and snacks. The 7-Eleven staff told police that two men, who were dressed in the clothes worn by Muslim women with their faces covered, entered the shop then pulled out AK47 rifles and shotguns. They told the staff not to resist. One of the two then telephoned a third accomplice who later came into the shop while the fourth guarded the entrance. The staff said they loaded a basket with goods. They tried to open the till but after failing to do so escaped on two motorcycles parked in front of the shop. The staffs told police that the suspects made off with only toothpaste, shampoo and some snacks. The entire robbery was recorded on the shop's security cameras and the police are examining the footage to identify the suspects. Fingerprint and other evidence will be coordinated with Narathiwat police. The suspects took just 12 minutes to rob the store. (Source: The Nation)

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Should Chinese pay visa fee?

Posted by hasekamp on 16 January 2015
at 17:35 PM
Thai authorities are discussing whether the exemption of visa fees for Chinese tourists should be re-introduced, said Deputy Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai on Friday. He was referring to exemption of Bt1,000-visa fee for Chinese tourists between August and October 2014 in a bid to boost tourism. Don said that last year was a pilot project and it is found that tour agencies still charged the tourists for the fee despite the fact that the sum was already exempted, Don said. Therefore, the tourists were not benefitted from the privilege, Don said, adding visa exemption is different from free visa. The latter involved the national security that both countries have to discuss. He reiterated that it is easy and convenient to get the entry visa to Thailand as the Chinese tourists could apply for the visa at Thai Embassy in Beijing and Thai Consulate General offices in China. Moreover they could apply for visa on arrival at the airports they enter Thailand. (Source: The Nation)

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Third gender in constitution

Posted by hasekamp on 15 January 2015
at 13:40 PM
THE CONSTITUTION Drafting Committee (CDC) agreed yesterday to note the "third gender" or people of different sexuality in the new Constitution, a move likely to empower transgender people so they have rights equal to others in society under the law. It will be the first time the gender will be acknowledged in a constitution. The second day of charter drafting, article by article, included the section on civilian, citizens' and people's rights stipulated by the charter as under the 2007 Constitution. Article 4 stipulates that the rights of human beings, dignity or freedom of people will be provided protection under the law. It is followed by Article 5, which states that a Thai person no matter where they were born, what gender or religion they are, should be protected equally. In the above article, many CDC members proposed to add the term "third gender or different sexualities" so such people have rights stipulated clearly in the new charter as well. A CDC member explained that previous charters never stated this term or inserted it in any related articles. But it was mentioned in the intent of law under the 2007 Constitution, which by adding the term could mean it empowers this group of people to have rights equal to others in society under the law. Another CDC member voiced support for the proposal, adding that it would be clearer to clarify who such people are in the charter as well. (Source: The Nation)

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Drugs combat centre

Posted by hasekamp on 15 January 2015
at 13:35 PM
Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and China have set up a joint centre to further clamp down on drug smuggling along the Mekong River. The Safe Mekong Coordination Centre launched Thursday in Chiang Mai and will operate for three months. China, Myanmar and Laos each assigned two officials to join officers from the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, Royal Thai Navy, Royal Thai Army and Interior Ministry, ONCB secretary-general Permpong Chaovalit said. The four Mekong countries agreed to rotate hosting of the centre. China launched the first joint facility in Yunnan province last year. The joint facility combats drugs through coordination on river and land patrols, information sharing, identifying targets and raids, and blocking the flow of precursors used to make drugs in their countries. Justice Minister Paiboon Khumchaya said Thailand alone could not solve the drug problem on the river as much of it is smuggled in from neighbouring countries. Help from its neighbours was crucial to resolving the crisis, he added. (Source: The Bangkok Post)

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WWF elephant campaign

Posted by hasekamp on 12 January 2015
at 23:03 PM
Several entertainment and media celebrities have joined the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)'s "Chor Chaang Saving Elephants" campaign against the trade in ivory by removing the Thai letter "chor chaang" from their names. "Chaang" stands for elephant in Thai, and "chor chaang" is a common letter in the Thai alphabet. While Thailand has an ancient affinity with elephants, it is also the world's second-largest unregulated ivory market - after China. WWF estimates that more than 20,000 African elephants are slain every year for ivory and that Thailand is the end destination for much of this ivory. "As long as there is demand for ivory, all elephants are at risk," said Janpai Ongsiriwittaya, Wildlife Trade Campaign Manager for WWF-Thailand. WWF is inviting all Thais to join the campaign by removing or hiding the "chor chaang" letter from their names, places, signboards, etc, then posting a photo of it on Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter accounts with #ChorChaang #wwfthailand to show their support. Nation TV, ThaiRath TV and their reporters have joined the campaign by removing the "chor chaang" letter from the names of their news anchors, TV show titles and on social media. (Source: The Nation)

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PM promises good business

Posted by hasekamp on 12 January 2015
at 23:00 PM
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday vowed that his government would do its best to ensure a strong economic performance this year, and told the business sector not to worry about the political situation. During a four-hour meeting with business representatives, the PM asked the private sector to help restore confidence, deputy government spokesman Maj Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd said. "Political issues are also important but they should not worry much. Members of the private sector should not think only about impeachment cases and other political problems," Prayut said. The premier invited representatives of commerce, banking, tourism, small business and energy for a meeting to update him on their concerns and needs. At the meeting, many suggestions were made on how to stimulate the economy and sustain growth in the long term. The business sector is still unsure about the economic outlook this year due to many uncertainties and challenges, notably the global slowdown. Business leaders urged the government yesterday to be strong in implementing policies that will stimulate the economy and private consumption. (Source: The Nation)

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Cheaper phone calls

Posted by hasekamp on 11 January 2015
at 15:03 PM
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has called on mobile phone operators to help consumers and promised a law to ensure more fairness in the telecommunications industry. Gen Prayut on Friday praised mobile operators and regulators for working out an agreement to switch to per-second biling for calls starting on March 1. However, he conceded that his government needed more time to solve the problem of overpriced lottery tickets Â€Â” one of the very first pledges the military made when it seized power last May. The agreement on mobile billing reached on Wednesday followed complaints from the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) that the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) was failing to protect consumers. Currently, mobile calls are billed by the minute but even a few seconds count as a full minute, and consumers have long complained that such a system is a rip-off. "Mobile phone service operators must provide alternatives for their customers, offering them promotional campaigns that truly satisfy their needs," Gen Prayut said on his weekly Returning Happiness to Thai People broadcast. He also suggested that the agreement could pave the way for cheaper non-voice charges including mobile internet. (Source: The Bangkok Post)

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Children's day

Posted by hasekamp on 11 January 2015
at 14:59 PM
In his speech on Children's Day at his office, Gen Prayut stressed unity and the 12 core values he has been promoting. He said children had a role to play in the country as they could not allow anybody to divide the country when the government was trying to heal rifts though reforms. "We are living in the same country. What we must have is unity," he said. "Adults might have a quarrel, but they should not bring any problems to children." Schools were the places parents should send children, not conflict areas, he added. The prime minister sang a few songs at Government House, including 12 Core Values and Jong Rak, and used a hand puppet of the Frog Prince to draw laughs from children and parents while delivering his speech. Government House and the Prime Minister's Office are open for children every year on their special day, but they were not on top of this year's wish list for young people. (Source: The Bangkok Post)

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More than 4000 charged with drunk driving

Posted by hasekamp on 9 January 2015
at 17:11 PM
The courts handed down guilty verdicts to 4,056 drunk drivers in the New Year holiday period. The number of drunk-driving cases between December 30 and January 5 increased by 259 compared to the same period a year earlier. The Probation Department yesterday said drunk driving was the most common offence among drivers over the holidays. In the same period, there were 15 reckless-driving cases and 232 cases of drivers abusing drugs, while 333 people were put on probation by courts in Chon Buri, 273 in Bangkok and 222 in Buri Ram. (Source: The Nation)

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Yingluck denies all charges

Posted by hasekamp on 9 January 2015
at 17:06 PM
Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra has denied all charges against her in connection with the rice-pledging programme, saying "I have no position left to be impeached from". 'I'm ready for checks and balances so long as they are fair,' Ms Yingluck told the NLA on Jan 9, 2015. At parliament on Friday, Ms Yingluck gave a testimony to the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), which will vote to impeach her. The NLA acted after the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) found the case in which she had been accused of dereliction of duty involving the rice scheme had ground. Ms Yingluck started by questioning the necessity of her impeachment, saying it was redundant, not to mention unfair. "I was removed from office the equivalent to being impeached three times already. I have no position left to be impeached from. The impeachment today will affect policies aimed at helping farmers in the future," she said. Ms Yingluck denied all charges against her by the NACC and the opposition Democrat party. "I denied all charges by both the NACC and the Democrat party and I insist I ran the programme correctly and transparently. (Source: The Bangkok Post)

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New Thai made vaccine

Posted by hasekamp on 8 January 2015
at 14:28 PM
CERTIFIED by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the attenuated [low intensity] Japanese encephalitis vaccine from its Thailand-based factory will be eligible for distribution worldwide. "The certification means we will be able to export the vaccine to any country," Patchara Kootiratrakarn said yesterday in her capacity as senior director of the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation - Merieux Biological Products Co (GPO-BMP). Producing the world-class-standard vaccine, this factory is a joint venture of the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO), a subsidiary of the Crown Property Bureau and Sanofi Pasteur Co. Patchara said the WHO had certified the GPO-BMP's attenuated JE vaccine last September. "The vaccine has also passed the standards of Thailand's GPO and Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration," she said. (Source: The Nation)

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Is it wise to impeach Yingluck?

Posted by hasekamp on 8 January 2015
at 14:25 PM
Whether former prime minister Yingluck Shinwatra is found guilty and impeached over alleged dereliction of duty and corruption related to the rice-pledging scheme or not, the outcome will mark a crucial political juncture with possible unnerving ramifications. Some say the National Legislative Assembly proceedings tomorrow must go ahead fairly and squarely no matter what the consequences might be, however. A guilty verdict by the junta-appointed NLA will certainly galvanised pro-Thaksin/Yingluck Shinawatra red shirts and Pheu Thai Party supporters, who would almost automatically see it as an unfair political vendetta. A non-guilty verdict would leave the anti-Thaksin/Yingluck People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) feeling cheated and make them think that their months of street protests were all for nothing. The reality is that there is very little room for persuasion, as all seem to have made up their minds as to whether Yingluck is guilty. (Source: The Nation)

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Thai archbishop becomes cardinal

Posted by hasekamp on 6 January 2015
at 14:53 PM
The Pope announced new cardinals yesterday. Archbishop Francis Xavier Kriengsak Kovithavanij will join cardinals from other countries including Italy, Portugal, Ethiopia, New Zealand, Vietnam, Mexico, Myanmar, Uruguay, Spain and Panama, according to a statement of the Vatican released on Sunday. It is the second time the 78-year-old Pope has put his stamp on the direction he wants the 1.2 billion member church to go, having named 19 cardinals a year ago. The new "princes" of the Church will be installed at a ceremony known as a consistory at the Vatican on Feb 14. Pope Francis said on Sunday the new cardinals reflect the church's diversity. The Thai archbishop is 65 years old. He was born in Bang Rak district, Bangkok, on June 27, 1949, and was ordained in 1976. He has been the archbishop of Bangkok since 2009. (Source: The Bangkok Post)

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End toll of dangerous days

Posted by hasekamp on 6 January 2015
at 14:43 PM
The so-called seven dangerous New Year holidays that ended on Monday saw 2,997 road accidents happened, resulting in 341 deaths and 3,117 injuries, the Road Safety Center announced Tuesday. Last year, the seven dangerous New Year holidays saw 366 people killed and 3,345 injured in road accidents. (Source: The Nation)

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Hunting for shooters

Posted by hasekamp on 4 January 2015
at 10:49 AM
Police said they were confident that they would be able to find the people who fired shots into the sky during New Year celebrations and injured people with stray bullets. Royal Thai Police spokesman Pol Lt-General Prawut Thawornsiri said investigators were studying the trajectory of the stray bullets in order to determine the possible location from where the guns were fired. Police will also look for witnesses before questioning suspects, Prawut said. "I believe the culprits will be found." At least three people were injured in separate incidents involving stray bullets believed to have been fired during New Year celebrations. (Source: The Nation)

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Total accident score so far

Posted by hasekamp on 4 January 2015
at 10:46 AM
With the New Year break coming to an end in a few days, many holiday-makers started returning to Bangkok yesterday, causing more traffic and prompting the authorities to adjust road-safety measures accordingly. The Road Safety Centre reported, meanwhile, that 190 people were killed and 1,782 injured in 1,737 road accidents over first three days of the seven-day accident-monitoring period. These figures were higher across the board than the previous New Year, when there were 1,322 accidents which caused 161 deaths and 1,390 injuries over the same period. Chiang Mai had the highest number of accidents in the first three days at 71, while Phetchabun and Buri Ram had the most fatalities - nine each, and Nakhon Sawan had the most injuries at 75. Only 12 provinces have so far reported no fatalities. On January 1 alone, a total of 604 accidents claimed 60 lives and left 625 others injured, Public Health Minister Rajata Rajatanavin announced on the centre's behalf. Major contributing factors remained drunk driving at 49 per cent and speeding at 24 per cent. Most accidents involved motorcycles (85 per cent), and most took place on straight stretches of road (64 per cent). About one-quarter occurred between midnight to 4am. Slightly over half of the victims were of working age. Officials at 2,270 main checkpoints arrested 90,624 people for traffic violations, about 27,300 of whom did not wear a motorcycle helmet and some 26,100 others failed to show a driver's licence, Rajata said. In related news, deputy national police chief Pol General Pongsapat Pongcharoen yesterday inspected the project under which holidaymakers list their homes to be monitored by police from December 20 to January 4 while they are away. He checked out Chokchai Police Station in Bangkok, which has 59 houses in the project, the most in one jurisdiction. The project, aimed at preventing theft and other crimes, has seen a total of 3,289 houses monitored nationwide. Some of 1,044 of these were in the capital, with 1,311 in adjacent provinces and 924 upcountry. Pongsapat said 109 homeowners had already returned while about 3,000 others were still away, so police would continue to patrol until everyone is back by Monday. (Source: The Nation)

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Chiang Mai tops Nee Year accidents so far

Posted by hasekamp on 4 January 2015
at 10:40 AM
Chiang Mai topped the list of provinces with the highest accumulated death toll from road accidents. After the fifth day of the seven-day accident monitoring period ended Saturday, Chiang Mai saw 14 people killed in road accidents. Its accumulated number of injured victims was the also the highest with 106 people injured. Chiang Mai is among the most popular destinations for New Year revelers. (Source The Nation)

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Happy New Year!

Posted by hasekamp on 1 January 2015
at 10:18 AM
Hasekamp Net wishes all its visitors and the readers of this news service a Happy 2015!